The Bay Foundation (TBF) hosted its 12th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day event Saturday, September 17, returning to the LAX Dunes, to remove invasive species of plants with a record year of attendance reached, almost double last years’ volunteers.
TBF’s event was part of the greater annual Coastal Cleanup Day (CCD), which draws over 14,000 volunteers to hundreds of events across Los Angeles County.
TBF’s dunes event drew over 130 volunteers who collected over 3,500 pounds of invasive vegetation.
CCD coincides with the launch of National Estuaries Week (NEW), the nation’s largest volunteer event for estuaries in our country, which celebrates beaches and estuaries – the vibrant coastal areas where rivers meet the sea. TBF helps educate about the connection between the watersheds that feed, or drain into, the Santa Monica Bay.
City of Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Bonin welcomed and thanked volunteers as efforts got underway, with volunteers from both The Bay Foundation and Friends of LAX Dunes taking part in the event.
TBF coordinates this event to help restore Los Angeles County’s largest remaining dunes system. The invasive species take space away from healthy and native species of plants, much as trash invades our beaches, parks and streets.
California Coastal Cleanup Day began in 1985 to combat the increasing marine debris along our shorelines, and is coordinated in Los Angeles County by Heal the Bay in conjunction with the California Coastal Commission (statewide) and the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches & Harbors. For more information head to: santamonicabay.org